XXXI. A Peculiar Opponent

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Perhaps that was one of the side-effects of Extinct Formulae Magic. If he thought about it properly, Tatz had an air of insanity around him. At first, Ray thought that the man was just crazy by his own nature. Looking at his new opponent however, Ray had to revise his thinking and assume that anyone with Extinct Formulae Magic-- at least the formulae which Skulls members were using-- lost a piece of their good mind. That could only be so.

There his opponent was, playing with the immobilized Dunnford, like a violent kid wanting to break his toy. Again and again he tried landing blows to Dunnford with his enormous strength. Again and again he failed to inflict damage. If the victim wasn't Dunnford, Ray would waste no time and aid the victim. However, since the person in question was Dunnford, Ray decided to stand still and observe his opponent. He was distracted by Dunnford and Ray was using that chance to gain a feel of his opponent.

By now, he should already realize that Dunnford got a Special Magic to make him immune to attacks, right? Ray thought.

At that point, Ray actually thought that it would be best to just leave Dunnford. Nothing bad would happen to the man due to his Special Magic. And although he was immobilized, he was doing a great job of keeping an enemy occupied. Ray should just leave them be and strike at the leader of Skulls instead. Why waste energy to fight the Extinct Formulae Magic user when he was clearly not interested in fighting? Rather, ignore them and deal with other matters instead.

Ray looked left and right, scanning the area. He was in a hallway inside Skulls' base and there were no other enemies nearby. Definitely a good time to leave the scene and move on. Dunnford should be proud that he could deal with an enemy despite being immobilized. Tiptoeing, Ray was about to sneak away from the place and search for Skulls leader. Nothing for him to do there.

He then heard a roar piercing through his ears. A roar so loud that the air became heavy and the building shook in terror. So loud it was that Ray couldn't hear any sound after that, except for a ringing inside his ears. What was that?

There was some distance between Ray and Dunnford who was being toyed by an opponent. A distance of 10 steps or so.

A while after the deafening roar occurred, the wall to Ray's right, in the space between Ray and Dunnford, burst to pieces all of a sudden. The shattered wall flew in random directions and Ray had to dodge those flying debris. Dust had risen after the wall burst. Although faint, Ray could've sworn that he saw Elaine bursting through from a wall and into another to the left. As the dust settled down, he saw that there were 2 holes on the walls. 1 to his right and another to his left.

What just happened?

From his right, Ray could hear someone's gait, dragging his feet. He looked at the hole on the wall and lifted his sword in front of him. His instinct was telling him: whatever it was coming out from that hole, was dangerous. Cold sweat dripped on his forehead and he felt more and more anxious as the steps grew closer.

A beast lurked through that hole in the wall. An inhumane beast. A woman with white long hair, tanned skin, with tattoos all over her body. One part of the tattoo was the ever so unreadable Extinct Magic Formulae, while the other part was a form of sealing magic. She turned to look at Ray with bloodshot red eyes, blood was flowing from her eyes; coursing down her cheeks. Sparks of electricity was all over her and Ray assumed that that was what caused her beastly form. Veins were all over under her skin, seemingly to pop at any moment, and there was a sudden growth of muscle on her, making her form similar to that of a wild beast.

Ray was ready to fight with the beast should he need to. His sword was pointed at the beast and he was vigilant. The beast however, looked away from Ray, and her eyes went to her companion. Despite everything: the roar, the sudden burst, and basically all the ruckus, that one peculiar Extinct Formulae Magic user was still trying to harm Dunnford.

'Horus,' she called him out. Ray's hearing had returned to him. That growl-like call was able to get her comrade's attention as he perked up to look at her. The beastly woman didn't say anything after that. She simply pointed at Ray with her thumb and Horus seemed to understand what she meant. He then looked at Ray with a dead stare.

The beastly woman passed through the hallway and went into the hole on the wall to Ray's left. Elaine was facing that beast? Ray thought. She definitely needs help.

As soon as Elaine's opponent passed the hallway, Horus closed the distance on him. There was about 10 steps distance between him and Ray; Horus was able to cover the distance with a step. A step so strong that it crushed the floor he was standing on.

Ray took a sidestep to the right and swung his sword. He threw counter in reflex, something which was natural to his body, ingrained by his training with Dunnford. He dodged his charge and could feel his sword making contact. With such a slash, a normal person would bleed to death. A normal person.

Although Ray could feel contact on his sword, he didn't like the unfamiliar feel which continued after that. The sword connected, yes. But, As he made the slash, Ray didn't feel the sensation of cut flesh. He even took the chance after that to look at his sword and there was no fresh blood on it. Just a blade with some dried blood from the people he previously slashed and that was it. Ray looked over his shoulder and confirmed his suspicion. He hated being right. That slash, despite being dead on target, did no damage to his opponent. His sword cut the clothe Horus was wearing and that was it.

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